There is known from United Kingdom Patent Specification GB No. 2 096 254 A a castor comprising a body mounting wheels for rotating about a rolling axis, an attachment member for mounting the body on an article, the body and attachment member being relatively movable about an upright swivelling axis spaced from the rolling axis, and a braking element movable downwardly along the swivelling axis to brake the wheels against rotation and to hold the body against the swivelling movement. The downward movement of the braking element to effect braking necessarily imposes on the castor forces which tend to separate its components parts, and it moreover presents difficulty in employing the castor for remote controlled braking as by a Bowden cable connection.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a castor in which braking forces are applied in a direction tending to urge the component parts thereof together.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a castor having wheel braking means suited to operation by way of a Bowden cable.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a castor having a braking element engageable with the wheels thereof to apply a braking force thereto, and an operating member linked with the braking element and movable upwardly to cause the braking force to be applied.